Public Safety

Los Alamos police officer Cpl. Brent Hudspeth was promoted to sergeant yesterday at the Los Alamos Magistrate Court. As friends colleagues and family looked on, Magistrate Court Judge Pat Casados swore him in. At the ceremony, LAPD Chief Dino Sgambellone said that he was glad to see that one of the police shifts was “going to be led by an exceptional officer.”

In late February, police responded to an alleged domestic dispute happening inside one of the rooms at a local hotel.
When police arrived at the room, suspects Rebecca Meagan Redondo, 30, and Samuel J. Nasise, wouldn’t let the two officers in at first, and police reported that Nasise kept yelling at them through the door.
The incident occurred at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Trinity Drive.
“He continually used profanity and yelled in a loud tone,” said police in their report.
Eventually, the couple was persuaded to open the door and they made entry. As they were separating the two in an attempt to get their stories straight about what happened, Nasise started struggling with one of the officers and Redondo attempted to join the struggle, but was held back by the other officer.
“I held onto Redondo and tried to calm her down,” said one of the officers in the report. “While I was doing this I observed (the other officer) begin to struggle with Mr. Nasise and I observed them go to the floor of the room.”
The officer then went to the assistance of the officer struggling with Nasise. When Nasise got back on his feet and hit the officer trying to help his partner in the face.

Police Beat items are compiled from public information contained in Los Alamos Police Department Records. Charges or citations listed in Police Beat do not imply innocence or guilt. The Los Alamos Police Department uses the term “arrest” to define anyone who has been physically arrested, server a court summons, or issued a citation.

May 7
8:45 a.m. — A 17-year-old Los Alamos teen was arrested on a charge of unlawful use of a telephone at the Los Alamos Police Department.

1:33 p.m. — Daniel Yamada, 32, of Los Alamos was arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance at the Los Alamos Police Department.

2:34 p.m. — A 52-year-old Santa Fe man reported to police he was the victim of breaking and entering at Trinity Drive.

6:39 p.m. — A 54-year-old Los Alamos woman reported to police that someone had tampered with her vehicle on Walnut Street.

Los Alamos Fire Department crews had to extricate one of two occupants of a house through a window during a structure fire this morning.
A single-structure fire broke out on North Mesa. Fire crews responded to a call for a house fire at approximately 9 a.m.
A house caught fire on Cheyenne Avenue from the interior, but LAFD officials said the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Of the two occupants, one was able to get out under their own power, but the other needed assistance from the crews.
LAFD spokesman Justin Grider said the occupants were taken to Los Alamos Medical Center for observation. An eyewitness on the scene said the occupant aided out by fire crews appeared to be coherent and was talking to emergency personnel prior to being taken away by ambulance.
Along with the two occupants, firefighters also successfully rescued three dogs from the home.
Grider said at the arrival of the first crews on-scene, firefighters took a “defensive” position, but once the crews got a hold of the fire and were sure it wouldn’t spread to nearby houses, firefighters took a more aggressive tact — the home is located on a cul-de-sac in close proximity to two other homes.
Despite the offensive approach crews took, there was still significant damage to the interior of the home.

A 26-year-old Española man was recently sentenced in Los Alamos Magistrate Court to 564 days of supervised probation for trying to steal a Dyson vacuum cleaner (value $697) as well as two pairs of women’s UnderArmor shoes (total value $159.98) from the Smith’s grocery store at 751 Trinity Dr..
According to court documents, the suspect, Mario Sanchez, attempted to take the shoes on Jan. 20 and the vacuum just four days later on Jan. 24.
According to a police report, he then tried to take the same vacuum cleaner about a month later on Feb. 9 at the same store.
According to court records, it wasn’t the first time Sanchez tried to steal the same vacuum cleaner, having allegedly taken one in the recent past.
Sanchez was sentenced April 30 for the January incidents, where he was charged with one count of shoplifting ($250 or less) and one count of shoplifting (more than $250 but not more than $500) He was also sentenced to 564 days in county jail, all suspended. Sanchez was also ordered to pay $156 in court costs.
Along with the fines and court costs, Sanchez was also ordered, as conditions of his probation, not to possess a firearm or other weapon, pay probation fees of $25 per month to the court and was prohibited from entering any Smith’s grocery store.

Los Alamos Police Department hosted a ceremony at the Justice Center this morning. Chief Dino Sgambellone spoke to a packed audience about the past and present police officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty at the LAPD’s annual ceremony honoring those police officers. Cpl. Matt Lyon and Sgt. Daniel Roberts unfurl the American Flag during the ceremony.

A collision near the bottom of Conoco Hill on Diamond Drive occurred around 3:15 p.m. Friday. Los Alamos Police Department and Fire Department personnel were on the scene. The Chrysler Sebring seen here collided with a black Chevy sedan. A third car was also involved, according to a witness. No injuries were reported.

Police Beat items are compiled from public information contained in Los Alamos Police Department Records. Charges or citations listed in Police Beat do not imply innocence or guilt. The Los Alamos Police Department uses the term “arrest” to define anyone who has been physically arrested, server a court summons, or issued a citation.

April 30

9 a.m. — A 15-year-old Abiquiu male and a 16-year-old Alcalde male were arrested at 1300 Diamond Drive on a charge of public affray.